The William Salt Library is a library and archive, in Stafford, Staffordshire. Supported by Staffordshire County Council, it is a registered charity and is administered by an independent trust in conjunction with the Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Archive Service.[1]
The core of the library is the large collection of printed books, pamphlets, manuscripts, drawings, watercolours, and transcripts built up by William Salt (1808–1863), a London banker. Collected during Salt's lifetime, the collection was donated to Staffordshire after his death, and the library opened in 1872.[2] The library continues to collect and preserve printed material relating to Staffordshire and represents a major source for local and family history in Staffordshire. The library's holdings are available for consultation by the public free of charge.
The library is supported by the Friends of the William Salt Library.[3] As well as raising funds for the library to enable it to purchase items for the collection, the Friends also help in practical ways, such as packaging and cleaning items in the collection.